Method and apparatus for burning off glass



E. C. SCHRADER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BURNING-OFF GLASS March 23 1926. 1,578,098

Filed June 14, 1924 gwoewfoz Ernest O Scbradeh Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST C. SCI-IRADER, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LIBIBEY GLASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BURNING OFF GLASS.

Application filed .Tune 14, 1924. Serial No. 720,107.

To alt whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, ERNEST C. SGHRADEZR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Morgantown, in the county of Monongalia and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Method and Apparatus for Burning Qfi' Glass, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

My invention relates to a method and means for burning ofl' glass and is particularly adapted for use with glass of considerable thickness.

Thin glassware, such as incandescent-lamp bulbs, has been successfully severed by a burning-off flame; but hitherto difiiculty has been found in using this process with glassware having thicker walls, such as blown tumblers. One of the difliculties encountered is that there is a tendency for some of the glass at the point of severance to string out when it becomes molten, resulting in a ragged edge on the glassware. If the flame ,is continued to melt off these ragged stringy portions of glass, the edge of the glass is apt to become molten to such an extent that a thickened ring will be formed. I have found that this difficulty may be avoided by continuing the flame after severance, but removing it a slight distance from the severed edge, so that any stringing portions of glass will be completely severed without excessive melting of the severed edge.

Other minor advantages of my process and apparatus will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a form of apparatus 'by which my process may be carried out; Fig. 2 shows another position of certain port-ions of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus shown is mounted upon 'a column supported by a base 11. A bracket 12, adjustably positioned on the column by means of a set screw 13, carries a bearing 14. A vertical shaft passing through this hearing has a chuck 16 on its lower end adapted to support an article of glassware, such as the tumbler blank 17. In the device shown, a crank 18 is attached to the upper end of the shaft 15.

A bracket 20 is adjustably positioned on the column 10, by means of a set screw 21,

and has a bearing 22 through which a sleeve 23 is adapted to reciprocate. The sleeve carries on its upper end a combined chute and burner-support 24. An annular burner 25 is mounted on this support and may be fed with fuel from any suitable source, as by means of the pipe 26. A rod 27 extends vertically through the sleeve 23. A collar 28 is fastened to the lower end of the rod 27 and is connected by links 29, 29 to the ends 30, 30 of the double-armed lever fulcrumed at 31 upon the base 11. The opposite end 32 of the lever carries a counter balancing weight 33. A foot pedal 34 is mounted upon a pivot 35 and connected by links 36, but one of which is shownyto the arms 30 of the lever.

The counter weight 33 is heavy enough to aid in the raising of the mechanism by means of the foot lever, but is not heavy venough to prevent the dropping of the col lar 28 and rod 27, when the pressure is removed from the pedal. The sleeve 23 rests upon the collar 28' in the positions of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the collar 28 is lowered, the sleeve 23 and the parts which it supports move downward with the collar until the shoulder 37 on the sleeve 23 rests on the top of bearing 22, after which the rod 27 may move downward in relation to the sleeve.

A bracket 40 is attached to the bearing 22 by means of a screw 41. A hand lever 42 is pivoted at 43 to the bracket 40. A U-shaped slide plate 44 is pivoted at 45 to the lower end of the lever, and the prongs 46, 47 of the slide 44 are held against the bottom of bearing 22 by means of a spring 48 connected to the slide plate 44 and the bracket 40. The ends of the prongs 46 and 47 are beveled, as at 49. A filler plate 50 is attached to the collar 28 by means of a screw 51. The filler plate has a portion 52 which extends between the bearing 22 and the collar 28.

When the lever 42 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the prongs 46 and 47 do not quite reach the portion 52 of the plate 50, but when the handle 42 is thrown to the position shown in Fig. 2, the wedging ends 49 of the prongs are driven up over the portion 52 of the filler plate 50, as shown in Fig. 2, thus forcing downward the collar 28 a distance equal to the thickness of the portion in 52.

The operation of my device is substantially as follows:

The burner with its support and the connected parts are first lowered, so as not to interfere with placing an article in the chuck 1G. The article to be burned off is then placed in the chuck and the pedal 34 is lowered until the collar 28 contacts the plate 44:, at which time the burner 25 will be positioned about the article so as to play a flame upon the article at the point where division is required.

When the flame has been continued until the glass has melted along the line where the flame impinges, the lower end of the article, as for example the moil drops around the rod 27. The article is turned by means of the crank 18, so as to heat all points substantially evenly, but if one side of the article does part before the other side, the

rod 27 prevents the moil from swinging to one side far enough to distort the article.

'- Sometimes when the moil drops the glass may string out slightly at certain points and further treatment is necessary to produce a satisfactory edge in such cases. By pulling the handle 42 to the position shown in Fig. 2, after the moil drops, the burner is lowered so that the thin sharp flame produced by the burner passes beneath the se 'ered edge of the glass article, instead of directly in contact therewith, as it would do if the burner were not lowered. In ,this position the flame acts as a fire finishing flame and smooths the severed edge without melting an excessive amount of glass. The distance to which the burner is lowered may be varied, if desired, by use of plates having portions 52 of different thicknesses. The wedging ends 49 of the slide plate 4i might be made more tapering than shown, and adjustable means might be used for stepping the thrust of the wedge atadjustable points, if desired, in order to more readily adjust the distance which the burner is lowered, but I prefer to use a structure substantially as shown, wherein the slide is always thrust in until a contact. such as lug 5-1, engages the bearing 22, so that the collar 28 is invariably lowered the exact thickness of the portion 52. As the severing flame is necessarily a sharp, thin flame, the movement which is necessary in order to remove the flame slightly from the severed edge is in all cases but a small fraction of an inch.

After the severed edge has been satisfactorily finished, the pedal is released and the "sleeve with the burner is lowered until the shoulder 37 rests upon the upper end of the bearing 22. After this, the central rod coutinues to lower until it is drawn downout of the moil so that the moil is discharged from the burner carrier. The article is then removed from the chuck and the apparatus is in position to repeat the operation upon another article.

As the exact means for holding and r0- tating the article forms no part of my present invention, the chuck and rotating means are shown somewhat diagrammatically.

It will be understood that the detailed disclosure is by way of illustration only, and that various changes may be made in the process and in the apparatus for carrying outthe same, within the scope of the appended elaims which define my invention.

I claim;

1. The process which consists in impinging aflame upon glass along substantially the entire length of a line where severance is desired, maintaining the flame until severance of the glass, at such intensity that severance occurs without material deformation. of the glass, and, while the severed edge is in v the condition in which it is left by said severance,'playing a flame simultaneously across substantially the entire length of the severed edge at a short distance therefrom and fire-finishing the same.

2. The process of severing glass articles, which consists in suspending such an article, impinging a flame upon the article and melting-itat the point of desired severance until the glass beneath that point drops,

maintaining the flame, until severance of the 7 continuing the flame for a time with substantially the same intensity, and continuing the relative rotation, with the flame positioned a short distance from the severed edge.

4. The process of severing glass articles having forms of rotation, which consists in impinging an annular flame on the side of the article until severance results, maintaining the flame, until severance of the glass, at such intensity that severance occurs without material deformation of the glass, and then producing relative movement of the article and flame to properly position them for fire finishing the severed edge.

5. The process of severing glass articles having forms'of rotat on, which consists in suspending such an article with its axis vert cal, impinging a flame on the side of the article until severance without deformation results, then lowering the flame with respect to the article to fire finish the severed edge, and producing relative rotation between the flame and article during the time the article is exposed to the flame.

6. The process of severing glass and tire finishing the severed edge by the same flame, which consists in impinging a flame upon glass along a chosen line until severance without deformation results, and then continuing the flame from the same source across the severed edge of the glass and thus fire finishing the severed edge.

7. The process of severing glass and firefinishing the severed edge, which consists in applying intense heat to the glass along a narrow line and thereby melting the glass and causing it to part and create a severed edge along said line and, after severance, applying less intense heat to the still molten glass on said edge to fire-finish the same.

8. The process of burning off the moil from blown articles of glassware, which consists in impinging a flame upon an article at the point of desired severance and melt ing the glass at that point, maintaining the flame, until severance of the glass, at such intensity that severance occurs Without material deformation of the glass,'removing the moil, and immediately thereafter playing a melting flame across the severed edge of the article ata short distance therefrom.

9. The process of burning ofl the moil from blown articles of glassware, which consists in suspending such an article with the moil down, impinging a flame upon the article at the point of desired severance and melting the glass at that point until the moil drops, maintaining the flame, until severance of the glass, at such intensity that severance occurs without material deformation of the glass, and then playing a melting flame across the severed edge of the article at a short distance therebeneath.

10. The process of burning off themoil from blown articles of glassware, which consists in suspending such an article with the moil down, impinging a flame upon the arthe holder and burner, a Wedge member and means for actuating said member to increase the distance between the holder and the burner a definite fraction of an inch.

12. In an apparatus for severing glass, a holder adaptedto hold a glass article with its axis vertical, an annular burner, means to reciprocate the burner between a position below an article in the holder and a position about an article in the holder, and additional means for lowering the burner With respect to the holder a definite short distance to produce a fire finishing effect upon the severed edge.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto i subscribed my name to this specification.

ERNEST C. SCHRADER. 

